| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Dates | June 17–21, 1971 |
| Location | Ardmore, Pennsylvania |
| Course(s) | Merion Golf Club, East Course |
| Organized by | USGA |
| Tour | PGA Tour |
| Statistics | |
| Par | 70 |
| Length | 6,544 yards (5,984 m)[1] |
| Field | 150 players, 64 after cut |
| Cut | 148 (+8) |
| Prize fund | $192,200[2] |
| Winner's share | $30,000 |
| Champion | |
 Lee Trevino | |
| 280 (E), playoff | |
The1971 U.S. Open was the 71stU.S. Open, held June 17–21 at the East Course ofMerion Golf Club inArdmore, Pennsylvania, a suburb west ofPhiladelphia.Lee Trevino, the1968 champion, won his second U.S. Open, defeatingJack Nicklaus by three strokes in an 18-hole playoff.[3][4][5] It was the second of Trevino's sixmajor titles and the second of four times in which Nicklaus was the runner-up to Trevino in a major; Nicklaus won his third U.S. Open thefollowing year.
The U.S. Open was just part of an outstanding year for Trevino in1971 and following this playoff win, his confidence soared. Two weeks later he won theCanadian Open in aplayoff;[6][7] the next week theBritish Open, and became the first to win those three national opens in the sameyear;[8][9] onlyTiger Woods has done it since, in2000. Trevino won six times on tour in 1971 with two majors and wasPGA Player of the Year. He was named athlete of the year by theAssociated Press andSporting News, and was theSports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year."[10] Trevino was the first to win the U.S. and British Opens in the same year in 18 years, last accomplished byBen Hogan in1953. The others wereGene Sarazen in1932 and amateurBobby Jones in1926 and1930, hisgrand slam year. Subsequent winners of both wereTom Watson in1982 and Woods in2000.
ForJim Simons, a Pennsylvania native entering his senior year atWake Forest, his fifth-place finish remains the most recent top ten by anamateur at the U.S. Open. It is the best since Nicklaus' tie for fourth in1961, following his runner-up finish the year before at age 20 in1960.[5] The last victory by an amateur at any major was at the U.S. Open in1933, won byJohnny Goodman ofOmaha.Bobby Jones won four U.S. Opens as an amateur, the last in1930 was part of hisgrand slam.
This was the third U.S. Open played at Merion, which previously hosted in1934 and1950; a fourth was played in1981, and a fifth in2013.
East Course
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yards | 355 | 535 | 183 | 600 | 426 | 420 | 350 | 360 | 195 | 3,424 | 312 | 370 | 405 | 129 | 414 | 378 | 430 | 224 | 458 | 3,120 | 6,544 |
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 70 |
Source:[11]
Lengths of the course for previous U.S. Opens:
Before the 1971 championship the course was measured for the first time in decades using more accurate equipment and found the previous yardage of 6694 was incorrect and changed to 6544 yards.
Thursday, June 17, 1971
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Labron Harris Jr. | 67 | −3 |
| T2 | Bob Goalby | 68 | −2 |
| Doug Sanders | |||
| Lanny Wadkins (a) | |||
| T5 | Jim Colbert | 69 | −1 |
| Jack Nicklaus | |||
| Bobby Nichols | |||
| T8 | Gay Brewer | 70 | E |
| Charles Coody | |||
| Dale Douglass | |||
| Ralph Johnston | |||
| Johnny Miller | |||
| Chi-Chi Rodríguez | |||
| John Schlee | |||
| Leonard Thompson | |||
| Lee Trevino | |||
| Tom Weiskopf |
Source:[12]
Friday, June 18, 1971
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Jim Colbert | 69-69=138 | −2 |
| Bob Erickson | 71-67=138 | ||
| 3 | Jerry McGee | 72-67=139 | −1 |
| 4 | Gay Brewer | 70-70=140 | E |
| T5 | Arnold Palmer | 73-68=141 | +1 |
 Bruce Devlin | 72-69=141 | ||
| George Archer | 71-70=141 | ||
| Chi-Chi Rodríguez | 70-71=141 | ||
| Bobby Nichols | 69-72=141 | ||
| Jack Nicklaus | 69-72=141 |
Source:[13]
Saturday, June 19, 1971
Four strokes back after 36 holes, amateur Simons shot a five-under 65 in the third round, one off the U.S. Open record, to take the 54-hole lead.[14] He got out to a fast start on Saturday, and was five-under for the round after ten holes. Simons played even-par on the last eight and ended with seven birdies and two bogeys to lead Nicklaus by two strokes.[15]
| Place | Player | Score | To par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim Simons (a) | 71-71-65=207 | −3 |
| 2 | Jack Nicklaus | 69-72-68=209 | −1 |
| 3 | Bobby Nichols | 69-72-69=210 | E |
| T4 | Lee Trevino | 70-72-69=211 | +1 |
| George Archer | 71-70-70=211 | ||
| Jim Colbert | 69-69-73=211 | ||
| Bob Erickson | 71-67-73=211 | ||
| T8 | Ken Still | 71-72-69=212 | +2 |
| Larry Hinson | 71-71-70=212 | ||
| Bruce Devlin | 72-69-71=212 |
Source:[16]
Third round
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Simons | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | E | E | −1 | −2 | −3 | −3 | −2 | −3 | −3 | −3 | −4 | −3 | −3 |
| Nicklaus | E | E | E | E | E | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 |
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
| Birdie | Bogey |
Source:[15]
Sunday, June 20, 1971
In the final pairing with Nicklaus, 21-year-old Simons retained the lead through the first nine holes of the final round, and was one shot back on the 18th tee. Needing a birdie to tie, his tee shot found the thick rough; a double bogey six yielded a 76 and he finished three strokes back in a tie for fifth place. Trevino took the lead with a birdie at 14, but then missed an 8-footer (2.4 m) for par at the last. He backed off before the putt after a disturbance in the gallery. Nicklaus' 15-foot (4.5 m) birdie putt for the win on the 72nd green also narrowly missed, and settled for par to force a Monday afternoon playoff.Bob Rosburg also had a chance to join the playoff with a birdie at the last, but he three-putted for bogey and finished two shots back.[17]
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Lee Trevino | 70-72-69-69=280 | E | Playoff |
| Jack Nicklaus | 69-72-68-71=280 | |||
| T3 | Jim Colbert | 69-69-73-71=282 | +2 | 9,000 |
| Bob Rosburg | 71-72-70-69=282 | |||
| T5 | George Archer | 71-70-70-72=283 | +3 | 6,500 |
| Johnny Miller | 70-73-70-70=283 | |||
| Jim Simons (a) | 71-71-65-76=283 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Raymond Floyd | 71-75-67-71=284 | +4 | 5,000 |
| T9 | Gay Brewer | 70-70-73-72=285 | +5 | 3,325 |
| Larry Hinson | 71-71-70-73=285 | |||
| Bobby Nichols | 69-72-69-75=285 | |||
| Bert Yancey | 75-69-69-72=285 |
Final round
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Trevino | +1 | E | E | E | E | E | E | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | E | E | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | E |
| Nicklaus | −1 | −1 | −1 | −2 | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E | E |
| Simons | −3 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | −1 | E | E | E | E | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 |
Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par
| Birdie | Bogey | Double bogey |
Monday, June 21, 1971
Prior to the playoff, the first at the U.S. Open since1966, Trevino and Nicklaus, both 31, were involved in a famous incident on the first tee involving a toy rubber snake. Trevino had acquired it at a zoo gift shop and used it earlier in the week along with apith helmet and hatchet during a whimsical photo shoot emphasizing Merion's thick and penal rough.[19] Hot and humid in the early afternoon, Trevino reached into his golf bag for a fresh glove and came across the snake and took it out to entertain the crowd. Nicklaus then asked him to toss it over, which Trevino did. Nicklaus picked it up, laughed with the crowd, then threw it back to Trevino.[20] It would later be written that Trevino had tossed the snake at Nicklaus in an attempt to unnerve his rival; in reality, Nicklaus was the one who asked him to throw the snake.[21]
When the playoff began, Trevino bogeyed the first hole and Nicklaus took the lead, but then hit two poor bunker shots on the next two, allowing Trevino to open a two-stroke lead. Although Nicklaus cut into the lead several times, to within one stroke as late as the 12th tee, Trevino never relinquished it. He carded a 68 to Nicklaus' 71 to win by three.[5] Nicklaus won his third U.S. Open the following year in1972 atPebble Beach, and a record-tying fourth atBaltusrol at age 40 in1980.
Television coverage byABC Sports for the Monday playoff was scheduled for just an hour, beginning at 4:30 p.m. EDT. A 35-minute weather delay after the sixth hole allowed for lengthened coverage.[3]
| Place | Player | Score | To par | Money ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Trevino | 68 | −2 | 30,000 |
| 2 | Jack Nicklaus | 71 | +1 | 15,000 |
Playoff
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Trevino | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | E | E | E | E | −1 | −1 | −1 | −2 | −2 | −2 | −2 |
| Nicklaus | E | +1 | +3 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +1 | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | +1 | E | E | +1 | +1 |
| Birdie | Bogey | Double bogey |
Source:[1]
40°00′04″N75°18′43″W / 40.001°N 75.312°W /40.001; -75.312